🔥Monday Morning Fantasy Football Recap

Did your fantasy football roster have one of the best weeks of the season in Week 5 and it still looks like you’re going to lose? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Scoring all across the board was way up among the teams in play and some of the best fantasy performances of the season (especially by quarterbacks) all seemed to happen on Sunday. Fantasy defenses even got in on the scoring extravaganza with multiple defenses putting up week-winning performances.

The Deep Dive Fantasy Newsletter will hit your inboxes four days a week this season and each Monday I will bring you the highlights, lowlights, injury reports, and Monday Night Football look-ahead all here in one place.

First up are the top fantasy football headlines from a wild Week 5.

💣 Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow Combine for Nine Touchdowns

In what might already be the game of the year, the Baltimore Ravens outlasted the Cincinnati Bengals 41-28 in overtime in a game that featured perhaps two of the best quarterback performances of the season. Jackson threw for 348 yards and four scores (plus 55 rushing yards) while Joe Burrow passed for 392 and five touchdowns on his own.

We knew we were in for something special when Lamar Jackson fumbled a snap, picked it up, rolled right, stiff-armed a defender, and threw a back-foot dart for a touchdown to Isaiah Likely. It was simply a masterclass in quarterback play from both players and a joy to sit down and watch for three hours.

Compare that game to, oh I don’t know, fellow AFC quarterback Deshaun Watson. Burrow and Jackson threw for nine touchdowns in one game. Watson has nine touchdown passes since September 24, 2023.

🎆 Joe Flacco and Trevor Lawrence Provide Plenty of Their Own Fireworks

Not wanting to be outdone, the AFC South put on their own shootout in Jacksonville where the Jaguars out-gunned the Indianapolis Colts 37-34 in a game where Both Joe Flacco and Trevor Lawrence balled out. Lawrence threw for 371 yards and two touchdowns and Joe Flacco continued to defy father time with 359 yards and three touchdowns. That’s like two games for Anthony Richardson through the air.

Multiple pass-catchers like Brian Thomas, Jr, Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, and Brenton Strange saw their best games of the season thanks to truly porous pass defense from both sides. Out of 79 total passes in the game, only 17 fell incomplete. It was also a game featuring backup running backs as Trey Sermon totaled 63 yards and a touchdown while Tank Bigsby continued his emergence and better play over Travis Etienne. Speaking of…

🛞 Tank Bigsby Rolls Over Other Running Backs

In what was clearly the best game of his career, Tank Bigsby totaled 129 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Travis Etienne was banged up entering the week, and he finished with only six carries. Etienne led the running back room with seven targets and six catches, but it was Bigsby making big plays on the ground all day long. Before Sunday, Bigsby had one game with more than 73 total yards (and that was his 90 yards in Week 4).

Is this a Wally Pipp situation for Etienne? Too soon to say, but I would get Bigsby on my roster in a hurry if he is still on your waiver wire.

🐻 Caleb Williams and D.J. Moore Bromance

The highly-anticipated Caleb Williams and D.J. Moore love connection finally got matched up on Sunday with Williams throwing for more than 300 yards and two scores, with both touchdowns and 105 of those yards going to Moore. They finally looked like they were on the same page and against the paper-thin Panthers’ pass-rush, Williams picked the defense apart. Don’t look now, but that’s two straight wins with 60 total points scored for the Chicago Bears. Their defense has not allowed more than 18 points all season, and all of a sudden this team looks extremely dangerous.

🧀 Tucker Kraft Runs Over the Rams

Kraft “singles” out the Rams’ receivers and smashes them? Is that a better headline? However you want to call it, Green Bay Packers’ tight end Tucker Kraft showed that he is the definitive TE1 on that team with an impressive 88 yards on five targets with two touchdowns. It was highlighted by an impressive 66-yard catch-and-run, watch-out-for-the-stiff-arm score that showcased his athleticism. With Christian Watson hurt and Romeo Doubs off doing diva things, this could be a nice stretch of games ahead for Tucker Kraft.

🎯 Darius Slayton’s Malik Nabers Impression

No Malik Nabers on the road? No problem! Not when you have Darius Slayton stepping up to fill the uber-talented rookie’s shoes for one week. Slayton caught eight of 11 targets for 122 yards and a touchdown, once again making Daniel Jones look like a halfway-decent quarterback. The 122 receiving yards were the third-most in Slayton’s career and his most since he put up 129 receiving yards on October 11th, 2020.

🩻 When You Have 2 Quarterbacks, You Actually Have None

Both Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell got some run in the Las Vegas woodshed-beating handed out by the Denver Broncos. Both played, but neither actually did well. Minshew ended up with 137 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He was eventually replaced by O’Connell who could only manage 94 yards, but also threw a pick. Antonio Pierce refused to name a quarterback for Week 6 after watching this game, but can you blame him? He doesn’t have a quarterback controversy. He has a quarterback con-man problem.

Of course, because Brock Bowers is superhuman he doesn’t care about silly things like quarterbacks. He finished the game with 97 yards and a touchdown.

De’Von Achane was forced to leave Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots with a concussion, and he did not return. Considering the recent history of concussions and missed time, it is highly likely Achane will miss Week 6, giving Raheem Mostert and Jaylen Wright most of the rushing work.

Nico Collins caught a 67-yard touchdown from C.J. Stround in the second quarter and then immediately went to the blue medical tent to look at a hamstring injury. Collins would not return the rest of the game, which Houston narrowly won. More testing will likely be conducted Monday and Tuesday to determine the severity of the injury.

Aaron Rodgers was hobbling around the entire game in London against the Minnesota Vikings. He left the game twice with a leg injury, only to return each time. After the game, we learned it was a bad ankle that was bothering Aaron Rodgers (the old man jokes write themselves), but since he was able to gut it out, the prognosis is likely good that he will suit up in an important Week 6 game against Buffalo.

Aaron Jones suffered some type of hip injury in the London game that forced him to leave the game after just seven rush attempts and one reception. Coming out of the international game, the Vikings are on their bye week, so it may be some time before we have clarity on Jones’ injury. In his absence, Ty Chandler piled up 14 rush attempts and two receptions.

Xavier Legette also left his game against the Bears early due to a shoulder injury. The final score was 36-10 in favor of the Chicago Bears, Bryce Young played some at quarterback, and Legette has already said he will be fine for Week 6. This might be a case of the injury looking worse because of the scoreboard. Expect Legetter to be back in the lineup against Atlanta next week.

Monday Night Football Play on Bleacher Nation Fantasy.

Quarterback Passing Yards: Derek Carr (+24 Yards) OVER Patrick Mahomes

Derek Carr throwing for 24 more passing yards than Patrick Mahomes. There are many paths to making this happen. First, the Saints are 5.5 or 6-point underdogs to the Chiefs depending on where you look. There is a strong possibility the Saints are trailing in this game and need to spend time in the second half passing to catch up to the Chiefs.

Second, through four Weeks, the Saints are tied for fourth in yards per pass attempt. With Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed on the line, those two guys can burn any defender and catch deep passes from Derek Carr.

Third, Taysom Hill will miss this game with a rib injury and Alvin Kamara is dealing with bruised ribs of his own. The rushing game for the Saints might not look as effective or efficient as it has the last month, leaving New Orleans to turn to the pass.

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Here are the latest articles on 4for4.com discussing all things Week 5 in the NFL. Check back throughout the week for much more.

Week 6 Waiver Wire

Week 5 Recap

Week 5 Sneaky Starts and Sleepers